We met Anna and Elsa at park opening today at Epcot’s Norway pavilion and a ride on Test Track

My girls haven’t had a chance to meet Anna and Elsa since they began appearing. My son’s basketball games required a lot of our Saturday mornings lately, but they were well worth it! So, we decided to see if we could meet Anna and Elsa and ride Test Track before heading off to church.

We arrived at the gates at 8:20 am to find this small group of people waiting for the park to open. Many were there specifically to meet Anna and Elsa, so it would be a foot race 🙂

Click any pic for super large photo. Oh speaking of photos. I’m often asked if someone can use a photo in a memory book. Go ahead, use them in your memory books if they help! If you place them on a website, I’d appreciate a mention. Just don’t sell them and we’re all cool. But, why would you sell them???

We could have chosen a totally empty tap point on the right of this group, but we wanted a typical guest experience. We were like family number 5 or 6 on the left hand side. The Epcot Times Guide knew that Anna and Elsa have changed times this week. It didn’t know when they changed times two weeks ago though. Disney’s app didn’t know the times had changed today, but the Character Locator app knew about it.

Here’s the lines at 8:30 am in the next two pics…

And here’s the mass of humanity at 8:45am, shortly before the park opened. Epcot advertises a 9:00am opening, but often opens 15 minutes or more early to allow the early risers to race to Test Track, Soarin’ and the Anna & Elsa meet and greet. (3 photos to remind you to arrive at least 45 minutes early!) We entered the park at 8:51 am.

I powerwalked my way back to Norway. My girls went the path around Test Track and I took the direct route past the fountain and turned left at the lagoon. They arrived just a tiny bit before me. We were on the second row of the queue line about 15 feet into the line. It took me 9 minutes to walk quickly there. I passed a few people just past the fountain because they were becoming tired. It’s a LONG walk. I did see people running, but that doesn’t help you guys with strollers much. I would like to ask one thing of you: Dad’s please don’t run with little kids on your shoulders! The walkways are always wet in the mornings and if you slip it would be a terrible accident. I saw a few doing this and it’s very dangerous. It’s 9:00 am. Oh, you’re guaranteed to be beaten into the line by some families that were having breakfast at Akershus or someone who booked a breakfast and skipped it.

They have these nice pics inside the windows at the Princesse Plass. In case you’re wondering, you enter Norway and the meet and greet is past the Kringla Bakeri on the left. You’ll see the queue line there.

Well, at least the Times Guide and Character Locator app had the times right 🙂

My little girl kept getting Anna and Elsa backwards. This is Elsa for training purposes. I can’t blame her, she was uber excited to finally meet these characters.

This is such a fun meet and greet. Anna is really light-hearted and chatty and Elsa is a bit more quiet, yet very kind. Debbie and Anna chatted about our love for snowmen and showed her our snowman Stitch. Anna thinks Olaf was visiting the beach today because it was absolutely beautiful weather. Photo taken at 9:42 am.

Debbie chose a top that would compliment Anna and Jordyn chose something that works well with Elsa. When I met them, I just wore my Character Locator shirt.

Debbie was given these awesome collector cards as a gift and she decided to bring them along to have Anna and Elsa sign them for her. Anna would sign in green and Elsa in blue she determined. Girls and their color coordination! I could scan them, if you guys wish to have them for your memory books. Just let me know in the comments, if that is something you’d like.

The ladies also signed her book for her. I’m a real slacker when it comes to getting character autographs. That’s something my girls always kept up with. I’m just the awkward looking, stalker-dad waiting alone to meet a character many times.While people were standing in line to meet the ladies, a kind Disney CM worked the crowd asking if anyone needed any help with Fastpass+ reservations. Kudos on having this guy out helping the rope drop crowd so they could still book their Test Track or Soarin’ (Grrrrr Tier 1) Fastpass.

So where’s the line at 9:45? It looks kinda short right? You don’t see anyone in the photo above, so it must be inside the queue. NOPE! It snakes behind the Stave Church. There’s a break there in the line for the bathrooms too. If you arrive anytime after 9:00, you’ll need to join the line around Stave Church. If you see people standing over there, they aren’t waiting to see the inside of the church.

And continues all the way back to the Agent P reservation area! I believe I wrote a tip a long time ago about arriving early. ARRIVE EARLY or just come back after lunch. If you are going to wait 1.5 to 2 hours or more, why not just do that in the afternoon?So we arrived at the gates at 8:20am and met the girls at 9:42. It was a 1 hour and 22 minute commitment all totaled. Of course, we would have waited those 25 minutes just to head straight to Test Track too. Speaking of Test Track. We arrived at 9:53 am to find this line snaking back and forth and all the way back to the logo. The MDE app said it was a 50 minute wait, but I think it appeared much longer than that.

We used a pre-arranged FP+ and entered the queue at 9:55 am.

Who cares if the car is efficient? The car is fast and it looks cool. And girls created this car. I’m such a proud daddy. We completed our car creation at 10:03 am. The FP+ line moved quickly to get us to this room.

It’s 10:15 am and we’re about to board our Test Vehicle. It took 12 minutes to move that short distance.

Debbie didn’t know they moved the camera during the rehab last year. It’s in the morning sun, so we are all squinty looking. We were off the ride at 10:21 am. Using FP+ Test Track took us 26 minutes for the entire experience. When we did our ultimate tour the day after Christmas this attraction took a total of 17 minutes.

We headed off for church. Good thing our church offers an 11:15 service. We were only a couple of minutes late this morning. Here’s a Spaceship Earth photo of the lovely day. BTW, there were hundreds of lemmings in line for this attraction as they walked into the park. DON’T DO IT! Resist the temptation and come back in the afternoon or evening for no wait.

8.50a. Rope drop. Started running… maybe four other people in better shape than me. We all got yelled at for jogging as we passed the fountain, and absurdly started power walking — then started running again when we heard other people jogging behind us.

8.56a. Made it into line.. About 25 families ahead of us — presumably from the lunch. Disney employee informs that the wait will be approximately an hour.

9.56a. Made to front of line — and just missed cutoff for the first hour. Anna and Elsa to take 5 minute break “to eat some chocolate”.

9.56a. Disney employee reports that the line is now **4.5 to 5hrs long**.

Our first trip is the first week of May my daughter is dying to meet Anna and Elsa as is everyone else. I had first planned at rope drop my hubby and daughter would head to TT and my little one and I would go save our place in line. After reading this (thank you for the great tips) we will be there extra early and I was thinking to have my hubby run ahead (extra long legs) to save our place and I will hoof it behind with both girls in the stroller. Question is after I arrive to hold the place do you think he and my oldest will have time to go ride TT and be back in time?? Or would it be better to try and ride late in the evening?? We are visiting on a Mon no EMH just FYI

Excuse my ignorance, but I am a little confused. You mentioned entering and going past the fountains from the main entrance, and then going through the IG. Is that an entrance? Is that an option if you are using the Disney bus system? This will only be our second trip to Disney, but I want to make sure I am taking full advantage of positioning for my morning run! Thanks! 🙂

Thanks for all of the tips! I stumbled across this while looking up the best way to meet Anna and Elsa as my daughter is very excited for our trip in May. We’re staying at BCV and I’m prepared to get to the IG early and run to the pavilion. I’m wondering what you guys think is the quickest route, to the right towards France and around or to the left towards UK and around that way. Anyone else have any experience with this? Thanks in advance!!

Thanks for all the info Kenny, we used it to our advantage last weekend. Had breakfast at 8, I actually got to eat, ran into the line around 830, and was 7th in line. Was done with the princesses by 915, and it was already a 3 hour wait!!! Very happy girls that day!

Hey Mark! We’re actually planning on doing the same thing this weekend! Couple quick questions though. Was your reservation at 8 or did you show up early? Our isn’t until 8:25 but I’m hoping they might let us in around 8. Also you might not have been paying attention to this but how many of the princesses at breakfast did you see in those 30 minutes? Thanks for the info!

We had it at 805, but they’ll let you in the park early with everyone else if it’s 825. Most people in line with me switched with another adult in their party to quickly eat. My family was done about 850 and met all the princesses and then met me in line. Everyone did the same so people weren’t upset about it in line. When you walk in you get a picture of belle and she’ll sign autographs which is huge since you can’t get it in MK. All the other princesses we already met at Cinderella castle, snow, aurora and Cinderella so we weren’t concerned about waiting for them but the kids got to see them anyway. It’s fun to watch the rope drop people running around the corner at 855 too!!! The things we do for our kids!!

Help please! Going to Epcot tomorrow and wondering what to expect – are Anna and Elsa still starting at 9? I’ve heard that World Pavilion doesn’t open until 11 – so how do we get to Norway? We’ve done Disney lots of times, but never an Epcot morning! Thanks!

Yay! So this means for next week Feb. 24th-28th it will start at 9? We will be there the 26th so just want to make sure and plan accordingly. Thank you so much for ALL this great info. Hoping to get my daughter in to meet the girls while we are there.

Thanks Kenny for your help. Just finished with Anna and Elsa and spent 2. Hours and 40 minutes in line. Shoes up around 1 and was out by 3:40. Better than getting to the park at 8:15 and waiting til 11:30 if you don’t have breakfast reservations . The cast members are super nice and very patient and the meet and greet it great. But Disney has to do better with the wait times.

Hi! Disney website now says they are back to old schedule, starting at 11 and last greet time is 6:50 for the remainder of this week (up until Sat 22nd). We are going on the 24th. Any insight into whether or not this is a typo or if they are indeed back at the old schedule? And when will new schedule come out? Thanks in advance!

Unfortunately, It’s really difficult to recommend going at all because the lines are artificially inflated by the stupid 11:00am start time. If you must wait 4 hours to meet them, pick the time that best fits your schedule.

Hi Kenny. Thanks so much for your great info! My hubby was at International Gate today at 8:15. He was first in line there. He went right to Norway when gates opened and saved us a spot. We got to IG at 9:00 (myself and two daughters). We met him in line and by 9:25 we were done! Most excellent! I couldn’t have been pleased. Thanks again!

Hi Kenny! Headed down March 2-6th. If you are in the parks this weekend can we get a latest Anna and Elsa report. Not sure if we should go in the late afternoon when we arrive on March 2nd or if we should go at rope drop on Tuesday the 4th. I know at one point you mentioned the late afternoons was best. But then they changed it to 9 am and now that may be best? Thoughts?

Thanks for the tips! It really helped me ensure my daughter was able to see Elsa and Anna, I really appreciate the updates and reader feedback! I wouldn’t have been so prepared if it weren’t for the site. I figured id share my experience for the other stressed out parents who want to make their Vacay perfect for their kids. I was there feb 11 and you may want to consider arriving earlier than 8:15 for rope drop. We took a 7am bus from our resort (French quarter) which stopped at the sister resort- took us a half hour- my husband was able to get coffee at the gate and we hung out till about 8 when one other family arrived for regular entry (not bfast) we lined up next to them at just about 8:00. By 8:15 the line was HUGE. They only opened up about 5 minutes early that day and as soon as they opened the parks it was a foot race with some pretty intense people! My husband went ahead and said he was one of the first four people from rope drop to get there but there were so many from breakfast that we were easily 10-15 families back. They took a break at 9:40 for 20 minutes (we were one family away) at 10am they were back and by 10:15 we were done. It was a great experience they spent a lot of time with my daughter and she was in awe! All together it was 3 hour tour- but it had several stops so it made it more bearable. FYI- the second line had already started when I met my husband on line just a few minutes behind the crazy crowd, and by the time we left the second line wrapped around to Mexico (10:15). But at about 2:30 we passed Norway and the second line only had about 5 families on it- not sure if that was just a random lull or if it’s been happening since the time switch. Thanks again for helping us meet Elsa and Anna!

Our trip is not until August, but I am trying to plan character meals/park days ahead of time. Do you foresee Anna and Elsa being available for a meet and greet in MK or staying only at Epcot? Also, what about them joining character dining?

And I have another unrelated character question. I know at some point I saw something about a talking Mickey in MK, maybe called Magic Words with Mickey or something. I believe there was even a FP+ for it but I can’t seem to find anything when I search. From what I can tell the town hall Mickey does not talk. Any insight on this?

Thank you SO much for keeping us updated on this meet and greet as it has changed! I will be looking forward to hearing what you have to say about the late afternoon hours vs. the early morning. Do you happen to have any idea how often these girls take shifts? Or is there a way to find out the schedule of the ones you meet in case you wanted to do it again but wanted to be sure to have the same girls?

I was there the same morning – that’s my daughter’s pink Mickey balloon in two of your park opening photos! I jogged over there with a 4 yr old & 6 yr old in a stroller, was in line approx 9:07, and met them at 10:20. At 10:30 as we were exiting the M&G, I heard the CM telling the end of the line that it was a 3 hr wait. A half hour later I met a furious mom in Mexico who had just been quoted a four hour wait by the CM. In fact, I came across quite a few irate parents later that day. Thanks to your awesome site I knew the girls would be there at 9:00 and had 2 ecstatic kids that morning Thanks for everything Kenny! -oh would also love the scanned art-o- graphs!

Ok! Also, someone on the disboards just wrote this: “Hey! Just got off the phone with Disney yesterday and they stated that the 9-6 at Epcot is going away… That they will be at Epcot/Norway from 2-2:40 and 3-3:40. Also, at MK Fantasyland near Pinocchio Village from 11-4:30???”
Have you heard anything about this? That would be bad!!!

LOL. It’s because the person in charge of updating the times for the app and the Chip hotline hasn’t done their job. It’s 9:00-6:00 for the foreseeable future. I’d tell you otherwise. It’s funny that Disney is it’s own worst enemy with information.

Got to the gate at 8:10, was the third person at a turnstile, and even with a delay with my band I skedaddled and got to meet Anna and Elsa by 9:30. I was totally sweating those precious seconds, though.

Thanks for all the info! I wouldn’t have made it without your updates.

I’m here and planned to be at Epcot tomorrow well before I noticed it was an EMH day. Honestly, I have a 4 year old who is dying to meet them and Fast passes already selected for the major attractions, so the Frozen meet and greet is my main reason for Epcot. I’m taking one for the team and lining up early and letting the rest of the fam walk over like a normal person. Is losing the touring time during the EMH the only reason you don’t recommend it or because of the crowds? I plan to grab the monorail from the Contemporary right at 7 AM, head over to Epcot and line up for 8 AM opening. I’ll be waiting it out until 9 or after. Am I a complete idiot? I can’t really move around our last 2 days here any other way.

Both losing Touring time and larger crowds. You’ll get to ride Soarin or Test Track, but to ride both will either need to wait or ride one near closing. Not an idiot, just use FP+ well and have a good time.

Hi, we are staying at Beach Club on Feb 24. We plan to visit Anna and Elsa then. My husband will go early and wait in line for me and my two girls who are hard to get moving early in the day – he’s a great dad. How early should he get to the International Gateway to get in line? And what is the route from IG to Norway for the meet and greet? Thanks in advance!

I have a reservation at Akershus at 9:30. The park opens at 9:00 am that day. How early will they let me in the park. I was thinking we might be able to get in early, get in line then head over to our reservation.

Hope they keep Anna and Elsa for awhile, my sister and I would to meet them! We missed out trip this past year (we go every year the Monday after thanksgiving for two weeks for both our birthdays) because we found out our Dad has cancer. We have resies for the whole family and some friends this year though and Ana and Elsa are on the top of our list!

Thank you. I didn’t realize we could get there earlier than 8:15. I think we’ll try that definitely, and if I need to step away a tad early, I can do it. Thanks! Anna and Elsa are on the top of my little girl’s list.

Thank you SO much for your site! We were there this morning too (I’m in two of the early morning crowd pics-look for the pink Mickey balloon!) We waited 1 1/2 hrs. Shortly after we left the M&G, around 10:30, I heard the CM tell people at the end it was now a 3 1/2 hour wait. About 1/2 later in Mexico I met a very angry mom who had just been quoted a 4 hour wait by the CM at the end of the line.

Great review as always. OK, need advice once more. I have an 8:15 at ARBH with a 9 am park opening in March. What is your advice for meeting Anna and Elsa? Morning or afternoon ? We had planned on afternoon until the recent schedule change. I can always leave the breakfast if needed to get in line and just have my wife and daughter catch up. If you had the 8:15 breakfast, how would you meet them? At what point would I need to go line up? Any idea how soon we could still enjoy the breakfast, meeting all the princesses, and then head over? I just don’t know how soon we could leave ARBH. I don’t want to short-change this opportunity either. Your take will be greatly appreciated as always!

Brian. Here’s some Options:
1. Have one member leave the breakfast at 8:55 to 9:00am and you’ll be meeting them 9:30-9:45. They don’t mind if one person holds a spot for the family.
2. Leave breakfast early and give up hundreds of dollars and some experience time with Akershus princesses.
3. Enjoy breakfast and come back to meet Anna and Elsa in the afternoon.
If you plan to leave quickly, pay your bill in advance when you first arrive. You can also arrive much earlier than your reservation and often go right in.

Love the level of detail you provide, Kenny!! Even though we met the Frozen Princesses a few weeks ago, we appreciate knowing the latest from you because we’d like to try it again. Also, really love how y’all fit this in before church. Keep up the great work! Kim aka NCDisneyPrincess on Lines